I am Steve. I was born and grew up in South Wales. My favorite place to play was out on the hills where my imagination had plenty of space to expand(拓展).
My family moved out of Wales when I was thirteen. I went to a new school. One of my subjects was French. Because I had never learned any French, my teacher told me to sit in the corner and write anything I was interested in. That’s the time I started writing, just for myself, and I’ve been writing ever since.
I have always loved BIG IDEAS, and so I enjoy writing fantastic stories. And I also write horror(恐怖的)stories. I think they are like the old fairytales(童话故事), and can teach you important things.
I am in my forties on the outside, twelve on the inside. I like rock music, Indian and Chinese food, and I enjoy drinking. I live in a small village with my wife Mary, ducks, cats, goats, hens and lots of rabbits. If you’d like to find out more about me and hope to buy my books, go to www.sbowkett.freeserve.co.uk.
1. When he was 13, the writer ________.

A．wrote lots of poems

B．moved out of Wales

C．sold many story books

D．became a famous singer

2. He liked playing out on the hills because he could ________.

A．expand his imagination	B．learn French
C．listen to stories	D．buy some books

3. Maybe the writer is________ years old now.

A．12	B．22
C．32	D．42

4. According to the passage, the writer keeps ________.

A．cats, hens and pigs

B．ducks, goats and rabbits

C．hens, rabbits and dogs

D．rabbits, pigs and cats

5. From the passage, we can learn that the writer________.

A．lives in a big city with his son

B．likes eating Japanese food

C．lives in the countryside with his wife

D．introduces a nice book to us

Quick reference index (快速目录索引)

ACTORS AND ACTRESS	385-399	MAPS (COLOUR)	517-528
MUSEUMS	454-469	MEDICAL DEVELOPMENT	492
ANIMALS	493-496	HOLIDAYS	841-873
ART, FAMOUS	480-481	PLANTS, RIVERS	108-109, 114-115
HIGHWAYS	131-141	NATIONAL PARKS	747-749
BOOKS, BEST SELLERS	476	COUNTRIES	529-615
DISCOVERIES AND INVENTIONS	336-338	PASSPORTS	142-144
ENVIRONMENT	80-101	POPULATION	616-619
EDUCATION	284-321	POSTAL INFORMATION	1, 033 - 1, 039
FLAGS OF THE WORLD	513-516	SPORTS	884-978

6. Where can you find the information on elephants?

A．On pages 517-528.

B．On pages 529-615.

C．On pages 616-619.

D．On pages 493-496.

7. If you want to know about Chinese film star Cheng Long, where should you begin your search?

A．POSTAL INFORMATION on page 1, 033.

B．ACTORS AND ACTRESSES On pages 385-389.

C．ENVIRONIVIENT on pages 80-10l.

D．NATIONAL PARKS On pages 747-749.

8. One who likes surfing can find the information about how to surf on pages ________.

A．141-144

B．841-873

C．884-978

D．517-528

9. If you are interested in Thomas Edison, you can search ________.

A．DISCOVERIES AND INVENTIONS	B．ART, FAMOUS
C．POPULATION	D．EDUCATION

10. You can find “Thanksgiving Day” on page ________.

A．841-873

B．108-109

C．284-321

D．513-516.

I’m sure you all know how important recycling is. Recycling is that you take old things and turn them into new things. It sounds like magic. But it’s actually very scientific.

Material	The first thing you have to do is to collect items(物品) that can be recycled. Only certain materials can be recycled. These include things made out of paper, metal, glass and plastic.
Daily things	Can you think of everyday items made of these materials? Soda cans are good example. They are made out of metal. Magazines and newspaper are made out of paper. So are milk boxes. Some bottles of juice are made out of glass. Bags and yogurt containers are made out of plastic. There are many things that can be recycled.
Loop （循环）	These things are usually stamped with the recycling loop. It has 3 arrows that go in a triangular(三角形) circle. This shows that cycle(循环) continues. Items are thrown away but continue their lives as something else.
Process （过程）	Let’s go back to the process of recycling. ①The items are put in a recycling bin. ②A truck carries the items to a recycling plant. ③The materials are separated and squashed(被压扁成) into square cubes. ④Companies buy and turn them into new products.

11. What is “recycling” according to the passage?

A．It’s a scientific research.	B．It’s a way of burning old things.
C．It’s a way to make old things useful.	D．It’s a magic performance.

12. Which material is not mentioned in the passage?

A．Rubber.

B．Glass.

C．Plastic.

D．Metal.

13. You can put your old things into a recycling bin except ________.

A．soda cans

B．magazines

C．milk boxes

D．all bottles

14. The “3 arrows” shows that the items ________.

A．have some valuable stamps	B．are recycled and reused
C．are in a triangle circle	D．are thrown away

15. The passage is mainly about ________.

A．recyclable materials	B．recyclable daily things
C．recycling in a scientific way	D．the process of recycling.

Sometimes it seems that time is flying. Perhaps it doesn’t need to feel this way. Our experience of time can be possibly changed. By understanding the psychological（心理学的）processes behind our different experiences of time, we might be able to slow down time a little.

One basic law of psychological time is that time seems to slow down when we’re exposed（接触）to new environments and experiences. The law is caused by the relationship between our experience of time and the amount of information our minds process. The more information our minds take in, the slower time seems to pass.

It follows, then, that we have different experiences of time in different situations. In some situations, our life is full of new experiences. Our minds process a lot of information and time seems to slow down. In other situations, we have fewer new experiences and the world around us becomes more and more familiar（熟悉的）. We become insensitive to our experience, which means we process less information, and time seems to speed up.

How can we slow down time? Here are two suggestions.

Firstly, since we know that familiarity makes time pass faster, we can expose ourselves to as many new experiences as possible. We can give ourselves new challenges, meet new people, and expose our minds to new information, hobbies and skills. This will increase the amount of information our minds process and expand（增加） our experience of time.

Secondly, and perhaps most effectively, we can give our whole attention to an experience to what we are seeing, feeling, tasting, smelling or hearing. This means living through our senses rather than through our thoughts. For example, on the way home, focus your attention outside of yourself, instead of thinking about the problems you have to deal with. Look at the sky, or at the buildings you pass, traveling among them. This open attitude to your experiences helps take in more information and also has a time-expanding effect.

To a certain degree, we can understand and control our experience of time passing. It’s possible for us to slow down time by expanding our experience of time.

16. According to the writer, we can expand our experience of time by ________.

A．going to bed on time	B．traveling to new places
C．having dinner as usual	D．printing the same materials

17. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Being familiar with the world around helps us get more information.

B．Understanding psychological time makes life pass more quickly.

C．We can take in more information by living through our senses.

D．We should build a stronger relationship between time and us.

18. What’s the main idea of the article?

A．People sense time differently in different situations.

B．People can control time by using basic law of psychological time.

C．How to slow down time by using basic law of psychological time.

D．How to make people sense slow down time.

19. What’s the meaning of the word underline in the third paragraph?

A．不明智的

B．敏感的

C．感性的

D．迟钝的

20. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．Slow Down Time	B．Only Time Will Tell
C．Race Against Time	D．Time Will Not Come Twice